Mural to 'champion' north coast suppliers unveiled by Tain restaurant
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A stunning and unique mural designed to put the spotlight on the NC500 and collaboration between businesses across the route has been revealed at a Tain restaurant.
The new piece of artwork, designed by local artist Ingebjorg Smith, was unveiled at Platform 1864 in Tain at a special ceremony last Thursday.
The six panel display was created by the restaurant to "champion" its suppliers, and to celebrate the "wealth" of products on offer throughout the north coast.
The idea for the mural first came about after a visit to the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh.
Owner Graham Rooney and general manager Fiona MacDonald attended the event last year and it was while they were at the show, that they concluded that the Platform could be missing out on an opportunity.
Ms MacDonald said: "While Graham was preparing a cooking demo, I visited the food and drink tent to find a bottle of a Scottish cider, and in doing so I was taken aback by the volume of products available.
"There were stalls everywhere and so many suppliers represented. We hadn't had much time to go for a wander before that, so we took some time to visit a few stalls after the demos.
"It really made us think. Just about everything we use comes from a local supplier, so we really need a way to highlight that."
Ms MacDonald explained that after returning to Tain they approached Smith Studios artist Ingebjorg Smith to begin lengthy discussions about a dedication which could celebrate the restaurant's links with businesses on the North Coast 500.
Lindsay Aitchison-Shah, admin manager at Platform 1864, took on the job of contacting the Platform's suppliers about the idea and worked closely with Inge during the creation.
With the help of Brian Murcar, who was also the main contractor in the restoration of the Platform back in 2015 – and who features on the artwork – the mural was fitted to the wall and unveiled at a special ceremony last night, with several local suppliers in attendance.
The mural, which is comprised of six wooden panels, has been painted to feature a map of the north of Scotland, with several items affixed to the panels, which are related to products and items that have been supplied to Platform 1864 over the years.
Among the companies listed were Highland Fine Cheeses, Glenmorangie, White Cottage Baking Bothy, North Point Distillery, Tain Pottery, Cullisse Highland Rapeseed Oil, Bogrow Farm, Bidfood UK, Rock Rose Gin, GlenWyvis Distillery, Dalmore, Grants Bakery, Studio Smith, Red Box Coffee, Bell's Seafood, Munro Fruit Merchants and Petley Farm.
Ms MacDonald added: "Over the coming weeks, we’ll be using social media to put the spotlight on all of the businesses featured. We’re incredibly proud of the mural and of the collaboration we’ve had with our suppliers.
"We are very grateful to the incredible Inge who has spent months creating this for us. Her talent, imagination and creativity knows no bounds and she’s taken a small idea we had and made it even more amazing than we could have imagined.
"Another huge thanks to our suppliers who were very patient and accommodating. We are so proud to get to work with such amazing talent on our doorstep. A massive thanks has to be given to Lindsay who has worked tirelessly over this for months and a final huge thank you to Brian who put the mural up for us."
